Grounded by rhythm: The healing link between music and nature

When life feels overwhelming, advice to “touch grass” has become Internet shorthand for grounding yourself in the real world. But a growing body of science suggests the meme has a point – and it might be even more powerful when you add music.

The study was led by social worker and holistic therapy researcher Michelle Hand of George Mason University.

The team compiled evidence that programs combining time in nature with music can ease anxiety, lift mood, and help people feel more grounded in their bodies.

The approach is simple, low cost, and – because it’s actually pleasant – people tend to stick with it.

Blending music and nature therapy

Hand and her colleagues cast a wide net, screening hundreds of papers to find studies that intentionally blended music and nature rather than using just one or the other. Out of 884 articles, only eight fit the bill.

That small number is part of the point: music therapy and nature-based therapy each have robust evidence behind them, but they rarely overlap in the research world. When they do, the mix looks promising.

Those eight studies covered outdoor singing and movement, garden programs with rhythmic elements, and animal-assisted sessions that used live music to set pace and tone. Some were formal clinical interventions. Others were community programs.

Across designs and settings, the same themes kept showing up: people felt calmer, slept better, and reported less stress and anxiety after sessions that paired sound with fresh air and living landscapes.

Nature outward, music inward

Both ingredients target the nervous system from different angles. Nature pulls attention outward. Moving air, shifting light, birdsong, and plant smells – these cues tug us out of rumination and into the present.

Music gives the brain a scaffold. Rhythm and melody regulate breathing and heart rate, organize movement, and make room for emotion without words.

Put them together and you get a multisensory reset: the body settles, the mind unclenches, and participants can process feelings with more safety and less strain.

Choice is a big part of it. People pick songs, choose where to sit or walk, decide how much to move, and set their own pace.

That sense of control is therapeutic in itself. It makes sessions feel supportive rather than clinical, which boosts buy-in and keeps folks coming back long enough to see real gains.

Healing across all ages

The programs in the review were used with a wide range of people. Among them are older adults, including those living with dementia and veterans and civilians recovering from trauma.

The music and nature approach could also benefit people with disabilities and community members simply looking for non-drug options to manage stress.

Outdoor choirs in botanical gardens gave participants a gentle way to socialize and breathe deeply. Drumming circles under trees helped trauma-exposed groups regulate without needing to talk. Garden clubs with curated playlists turned routine maintenance into mindful movement.

The format adapts easily. Don’t have a forest? A school courtyard or rooftop terrace works. Limited mobility? Build seated options into the session plan. Language barriers? Let rhythm lead.

The point is not to reproduce a pristine wilderness experience. It is to pair a living environment with sound in a way that nudges the nervous system toward calm.

Small studies, big potential

Eight studies won’t settle every question, but the signals line up. Participants report lower anxiety and stress, better mood, and a greater sense of well-being after combined music-and-nature sessions.

Some programs also see secondary benefits – improved sleep, stronger social ties, and better day-to-day functioning.

There are gaps, though. The field needs larger trials, clearer comparisons (music + nature versus music-only versus nature-only), and follow-ups that track whether benefits last months, not just hours or days.

It would help to include more objective measures too – heart-rate variability, sleep trackers, or stress hormones – alongside surveys.

The encouraging part is that these programs are practical enough to test rigorously and repeat in different places, from clinics to parks to schools.

Making music part of nature

You don’t need a grant or a wilderness permit. Start small and be intentional. Move a group session outside once a week and add a musical opening and closing – humming, hand drums, or a simple playlist.

Pair a morning walk with slow, steady rhythms that encourage regulated breathing. In elder care, bring familiar songs into a garden and let residents choose the set list.

 For youth, build rhythm games into a school garden hour. For trauma-informed settings, keep choices front and center and set clear, predictable boundaries for time and participation.

Growing community through sound

Access matters. Green space isn’t evenly distributed, and quiet parks can be a privilege. Partner with libraries, faith communities, parks departments, or housing providers to secure safe, regular outdoor spots.

Borrow instruments. Train peer leaders. The more these sessions feel like community rituals rather than medical appointments, the more likely they are to stick.

“Touch grass” started as a quip about logging off. This review reframes it as a useful blueprint: step outside, engage your senses, let music organize the moment, and give people real choices about how to participate.

It’s not a cure-all, and the science is still growing, but the early evidence is clear enough to act on. When you combine nature and music, you get a gentle, scalable way to help people feel better – grounded, connected, and a little more at ease in their own skin.

The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

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